This Body Is Not Me

This body is not me.

I am not caught by this body.

I am life without boundaries.

I have never been born. I will never die.

Look at me.

Look at the stars and the moon.

All of them are me, are manifestations of me.

So smile to me, take my hand, say goodbye

That we will see each other right away after this.

We will see each other in every walk of life.

We will recognize each other again and again, everywhere.

Thich Nhat Hanh

The Fluttering Flag

There is a famous Zen story : -

Once 2 young monks were arguing about a flag fluttering in the wind. One of the young monk said that it is the wind that is causing the flag to flutter. The other disagreed and said that there is no wind and the flag is fluttering by itself.

They argued for some time, getting more angry and worked up as each try to convince the other that he was right.

A senior monk walked pass and over heard their heated argument. After listening for a minute, he approached them and remarked, "Actually, both of you are not right. It is actually the mind that is moving." He then smiled and walked away.

As the senior monks remark sank in, the 2 young monks realized that what he said was right.

What did he mean by his remark?

The senior monk reminded the 2 young monks that regardless of what is going on in the external world, it is actually the mind that perceived the event. Therefore, one young monk's mind perceived that the wind is moving the flag while the other perceived that the flag is moving by itself as there is no wind.

Regardless of who is right or wrong, all sense perception arises from the mind.

The mind has to register the sense perception of the eyes to register that the flag is moving. Therefore, the mind is moving...

On another level, the senior monk is also reminding the young monks that in having the argument, they have lost control of their mind and became attached to the outcome of the argument. They have become emotional, with each thinking erroneously that they are right. In doing so, they lost sight of the mind and the Present.

Therefore, do not become too attached to what your senses tell you. Remember that everything arises from the mind. And when the mind is under control, you will not become attached to anything and will be at peace.

And you will become awaken...

Practising Through Being Present In Life

We are always in a hurry. Every day, it seems that there is not enough time in a day to enable us to complete all the things that we have planned for.

Therefore, the mind is always churning - thinking, planning and doing. With all these activities, you experience extremes of happiness, sufferings and defilements.

Even in times of boredom, you may think that you are doing nothing but actually, your mind is still active.

It is when you consciously be mindful about this chaotic mind will you realize that you are not living fully in the Present. Therefore, take a deep breath, bring your mind to stillness and experience fully the moment.

Always practise bringing the mind to stillness and Present in any activity that you are involved in.

When you are doing your daily chores, like washing and cleaning up after a meal, do these chores mindfully and gracefully - not banging the plates and washing the bowls while your mind is somewhere a million miles away. These can help you develop concentration and make your practice easier.

The concentration practices amid the mundane things will show you whether you have really established mindfulness or your mind is still jumping around lost in defilement.

So, practise, practise, practise every every and every moment... And you will awake to a richer life.

No Attachments to the Past

Eckhart Tolle, in his teachings, keep emphasizing that you have to leave the past behind and not get attached to all the good and the bad things or events that you have experienced.

Why? Simply because when you are focused on the past, you will miss out on the Present.

You would also realize that Eckhart did not promise you a final destination, the achieving of Nirvana. Doing so would have made you focus on the future - how to get there, how to achieve it, what you need to do to arrive there. Instead, he emphasized the process, that the journey is more important. And that journey is to be Present, to experience the Now.

Many teachers speak so often of attaining Nirvana, achieving enlightenment, of its special bliss and its importance in their practise. However, it is more important to be aware of the mundane things in your daily life.


Some people will savor a good meal and then go around praising the merits of the meal, the excellent service and the talent of the cook to everyone that they meet. In doing so, their mind is jumping to that past experience of having the meal and forming attachments to it.



Others will eat the meal, savour every morsel and every bite but once through, will feel no need to go around telling others of a meal already eaten. This is the essence of non-attachment - no attachment to events that have already happened in the past.

Just be Present now...

Why Practise?

Living fully aware and Present in this moment is to live an awaken life, where you treasure and savour every minute that is given to you. There is no living in the past or anticipating the future. The Present is all you have now.

But it is so difficult to do that, isn't it?

To be fully Present, you need to be aware that your mind is here in the now. However, our "monkey" mind is difficult to tame - it darts around, from thinking about the past to making plans for the future. In doing that, we miss and waste the Present.

So, you must constantly be aware of your mind.

Take a moment to have deep breaths and as you breathe in and out, consciously tame your mind and bring it back to the silence. It takes a lot of practice to consciously subdue the "monkey" mind so that it is at peace and no longer jumping around.

A disciple once asked his Master, "Why do I need to practise? How do I practise? What is the result of my practice?"

The Master smile at him and asked him, "Why do you sleep? How do you sleep? And what is the result of having slept?"

The disciple thanked the Master for his advice, bowed and left the room.

What did the disciple realise from the answer given by his Master? Did the Master really answer his disciple's questions by posing back 3 questions to him?

What the Master did was to direct the disciple back to his own inner wisdom. Rather than searching for the answers from outside, he should instead contemplate and find the answers within himself.

Practice should be as natural as breathing, eating or sleeping.

When you examine the "I", the restless mind, you should be conscious of it every moment that you are awake. Every minute, you must be fully mindful and be disciplined that your thoughts do not wander beyond the "Now", the Present. Initially, it is difficult to control your thoughts. Over time, this practice will become as natural as breathing and as natural as when you sleep.

When you know how to do this, you will know the result of having tame the monkey mind - you will find yourself more alive, more present and more thankful for everything that you have now.

So, there is really no need to seek for answers from other people, from the outside.

The answer is always within you, if only you can still your mind and be aware of the Present...